When it comes to writing about graffiti writing by Ryder, there is little more to say than he is an exceptional talent and seeing his work is always accompanied by a bat-squeak of excitement.
A recent trip to L Dub was fruitful, and among that crop of superb pieces was this one from Ryder. Full of colour and a fine fluid movement of the letters which makes this piece of writing very easy on the eye. Sophisticated and smart.
You don’t get to see too many pieces by DJ Perks, unless you decide to take the short trip out to L Dub, where there are usually several of his pieces at any one time. This is certainly a favourite spot of his.
Every time I see something from DJ Perks I am struck by how his pieces are growing in sophistication, confidence and quality. This is a lovely collection of interlocking letters with a random colourful fill where the letters are defined by the yellow solid colour between them. The glowing green and red fringes add an additional classy touch. This is a very fine piece indeed.
Lockdown isn’t all bad (although it is pretty bad, granted) because it seems that it triggers some activity from certain street artists, including Laic217. Since the New Year, Laic217 has been hitting walls fairly regularly and that is a great thing – I am guessing that perhaps he can’t work or has been furloughed or something like that.
This piece, close to another one at L Dub shows Laic217 at his graffiti art best, a skeleton figure in a subversive pose giving a double bird in a flaming background. As usual, the creases and folds in the hat and clothes is a speciality of his and something that seems to come so naturally these days. A fine fiery piece.
It would appear that lockdown impacts on different artists in different ways. Some will hunker-down, and they disappear from the scene for a while, others are liberated and seem to go crazy, hitting walls with refreshed vigour. Falling into the latter category is Slim Pickings (TES) who has been out and about a lot over the last month or so.
We know what to expect from Slim Pickings’ pieces – sharp crisp lines, reliably solid fills and unbounded 3D shading. It is all here with the addition of a couple of little white highlights. Great stuff. Looks like he might have had a small issue with his yellow paint, especially just to the right of the ‘S’. Good to see his work at L Dub.
This is an interesting piece from Laic217 because the writing behind the character is most un-Laic217 if you know what I mean. Also the character, although obviously by the Laic217 is not quite his typical style and could conceivably be by another artist.
It is nice to see artists switch it up a bit from time to time and this is a great example of that. I can’t remember when I last saw filled writing like this from Laic217, an element usually provided by his painting compatriot Cort. Overall this is an unexpected and intriguing piece and demonstrates the range that Laic217 has.
There are certain artists whose work you expect to see at L Dub, but Conrico is not one of them, so it was a double pleasure to find this piece on my last visit. Conrico has a fabulously imaginative and creative mind, and his pieces are always exploring new ideas and styles.
This is a clever piece of writing that appears to have been sliced apart horizontally almost as if it had been written in the sky or on the surface of water and then disrupted in some way. Conrico has a ‘brush stroke’ touch that is quite unique and that makes it quite easy to spot his work… oh and the big letters are a bit of a give away too.
L Dub (Lawrence Weston) is a funny old spot. Only a few of the Bristol artists venture out to paint there and some of the artists that paint there such as Dun Sum rarely paint in central Bristol. It is secluded and out of the way and so is favoured by artists practising in the gloom of the tunnels.
This is a wonderful piece of writing from RAW’s Ryder and really demonstrates why he is such a hightly regarded writer on the Bristol scene. The letters are beautifully proportioned and consistent and the pink and red fill almost magical, but it is the yellow 3D shading that really makes the piece stand out. Very nice work indeed.
I haven’t been to L Dub (Lawrence Weston) very often, and the turnover there doesn’t require frequent visits, but I was very pleased to find this magnificent Laic217 piece there on my last visit a week or so ago. It is the first piece I have seen in this spot from Laic217.
I know he paints a lot of skulls/skeletons these days, but somehow this one feels extra special somehow. Full of all the trademarks we would expect to see from the artist, it is the perspective of the piece that I particularly like. I also like the grey tones used. This was a particularly pleasurable find.
I love this recent collaboration from DFC1848 and DJ Perks for many reasons, but mainly because these guys are more often on the other side of the camera lens, and have made the step into spraying a lot for themselves and both have made huge improvements in the last year.
The left hand side is a wonderful bright red character from DFC1848, which retains many of the characteristics of some of his earlier characters but contains additional detail. It just goes to show what improvements can be made with loads of practice – DFC1848 had a board in his garden and practiced during lock down.
On the right is a very tidy bit of graffiti writing from DJ Perks, whose work has also seen a great improvement over the last 18 months. the letter shapes are great and the depth of shading works really well. I’m not too sure about the drips though. A lovely collaboration which fills me with hope for my own efforts.
I took this picture on my first visit to L Dub (Lawrence Weston) in July last year, but there were so many pieces being painted in Bristol at that time, that this was one of many that got left behind. The silver lining of being in lock down is that I have time to free up photographs from my archives (only a fraction mind).
Dun Sum seems to ‘own’ L Dub, with barely a surface there that hasn’t been spray painted by him. His work is really unusual and distinct, with his characters all having an unreal air about them, a kind of fusion of fantasy and that which we recognise. Dun Sum creates a new world forr us to enjoy. It is just such a pity that so few people get to see his work due to the very low footfall at L Dub. Perhaps he could be tempted into central Bristol…
Natural adventures 